Looper-operating mechanism for sewing-machines.



L. ONDERDONK.

LOOPER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1908.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS CO. FHOT'O-LITMO.. WASHINGTON, D a,

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LANSING ONDERDONK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPAN'Y, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

LOOPER-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Application filed November 2, 1908.

ing, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in looper operating mechanism for sewing machines, and has for its object to provide a looper mechanism which mechanism is so constructed as to give a positive movement to the looper with a slight dwell at each end of its stroke and wherein the looper is moved more quickly into the needle loop than it is retracted from the needle loop, and wherein the looper moves very quickly from each end of its stroke to the other end thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a looper with means for oscillating the same positively and directly from a rotating shaft located beneath the work support, and for giving to said looper, a slight dwell at each end of its stroke and a very quick movement from one end of its stroke to the other.

Still further objects of the invention will be obvious and will in part be more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention; Figure l is-a bottom plan view of a sewing machine provided with a non threadcarrying looper and with my improved looper operating mechanism for moving the same back and forth in a single plane, and showing in dotted lines, a second position of the operating mechanism. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the work support, showing in detail, parts of the looper operating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the needle, the looper and part of the mechanism for operating the looper. Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a sewing machine having a thread carrying looper which is moved back,and f0rth andalso laterally, to avoid Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

Serial No. 460,707.

the needle by my improved looper operating mechanism and showing in dotted lines a second position. of the looper mechanism. Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the work support, showing a part of the looper operating mechanism.

My invention is especially adapted for sewing machines wherein a plurality of loopers are set abreast and each cooperating independently with a needle. The mechanism for supporting and operating the needle or needles and for feeding the fabric is of the usual construction and will not need to be described in detail.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a looper 1, mounted on a shaft 2 and said looper moves into the needle loop in the direction of feed indicated by the arrow f. The needle n is indicated to show the relative position of the needle and the looper. The looper 1 is provided with a thread retaining shoulder 8, which is of the ordinary construction, in the nonthread-carrying type of looper. The looper support or shaft 2, is mounted in suitable bearings 4 and 5 carried by the under side of the work support. Said looper shaft on its inner end, carries an arm 6, which is secured thereto by means of a clamping screw 7. The arm 6, is provided with a bearing 8 in its outer end, which receives freely a ball 9. A looper operating rod 10 is pivoted between spaced ears 11 and 12011 a bracket 13, which is adjustably secured to the work support by suitable screws 14. The looper operating rod 10, passes through an opening in the ball 9 so that said ball 9 may freely slide upon the operating rod 10. The rotating shaft 15 is mounted in bearings underneath the work support and is rotated from the main shaft by means of a belt 16. The shaft 15'carries on its forward end a crank disk 17, which is provided with a projection 18 in which is swiveled a laterally projecting arm 19, carrying a bearing for a ball 20.. Said ball 20 is provided with an opening so thatrsaid ball will slide freely upon the rod 10. The looper shaft 2, and the main shaft 15 are substantially in line. The arm carrying the ball 9 is of considerably greater length than the arm carrying.

arm 19 will be carried around therewith and the ball 20 will slide back and forth upon the looper operating rod 10. The length of the arm supporting the ball 9 however, is so proportioned as above noted, that the arm 19 may rotate freely and the ball 20 slide back and forth upon the rod 10 without coming in contact with the ball 9. The arm 6 and the looper supporting shaft will consequently be oscillated back and forth while the main shaft rotates.

When the operating crank arm is in the position shown in Fig. 3, the looper is at the rear end of its stroke and the crank is rotating in the direction of the arrow Z. WVhen the crank arm has rotated from the position 0 a to the position 06, the looper will have reachedthe forward end of its stroke. In moving from one position to the other as above noted, the crank arm moves through the are from a to b, which is considerably less than a semi-circle. During the retracting movement of the looper, the crank arm moves through the are from b to a, which is considerably more than a semi-circle. It will therefore, be apparent that I have not only provided a looper mechanism wherein the looper is oscillated directly from a rotating shaft, but said looper is also moved very quickly forward into the needle loop and is moved more slowly out of the needle 1 loop. It will also be noted that when the rotating crank arm is in the position shown in Fig. 3, that there is substantially no oscillating movement imparted to the looper operating rod 10, so that the looper will be given a dwell at the rear end of its stroke. A. similar dwell is also secured at the forward end of the looper stroke.

In Figs. 4 and 5, I have shown my looper operating mechanism as adapted for operating a thread carrying looper and giving thereto a lateral movement so as to properly position the looper thread for the entrance of the needle between the looper thread extending from the eye of the looper to the previous stitch, and the body of the looper. It is usually desirable to operate a thread carrying looper in the opposite direction from that described in connection with the non-thread-carrying looper. I have therefore, mounted my thread carrying looper so that the same may move into the needle loop in a direction opposite to the movement of the feed. The looper supporting shaft 2 as shown in Fig. 4, carries a looper 21 and said looper shaft is oscillated by an arm 22, which carries a ball 23 sliding back and forth on the looper operating rod 24, which is pivoted to a lug 25, which in turn is swiveled to a bracket 26, adjustably secured to the work support by a slot and screw connection 27. The rod 24 passes through a ball 28 carried in the outer end of an arm 29 swiveled to the crank disk 30 carried on the outer end of the shaft 15.

From the above construction it will readily be seen that the arm 24 is not only oscillated up and down in a direction at right angles to the work support as shown in Fig;

3, of the drawings, but said arm 24 is also oscillated about its pivotal connection with the lug 25 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. This movement of the arm 24 shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, imparts a lateral movement to the looper. As the looper moves forward into the needle loop, it is also moved laterally thereto, where it receives a dwell for the reasons pointed out above, and after the needle has moved down between the looper thread and the body of the looper, said looper is retracted and as it is retracted, it is also moved laterally.

The looper in its forward and backward movement travels on opposite sides of the needle. By adjusting the bracket 26, the amount of lateral movement given to the looper may be varied. In Fig. 4, I have shown the arm 22 as connected totherod 24 between the pivotal point of the rod, and its connection with the operating crank, while in Fig. 1, this connection between the looper operating arm and the rod lO-is outside of its connection with the operating crank. The reason of this change in the connection is due to the fact that the looper in Fig. 4, is moving in the opposite direction when it enters the needle loop and it is desired to give to the looper the same quick movement into the needle loop in this instance as is described in connection with the non-threadcarrying looper. By adjusting the bracket 13, the position of the looper relativeto the needle may be varied.

Having thus particularly described my; in. vention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of a needle, alooper, a shaft supporting said looper, an arm .carriedbv said shaft, a rotating shaft located in substantially axial alinement with. said looper shaft, a member carriedby saidrotating shaft, a member carriedby said looper shaft, and devices for connecting: themember of the rotating shaft with the member on said looper shaft, said devices being :so constructed and disposed as to give the looper a quicker travel into the needle loop than its retracting movement out of the needle loo 2 The combination of a needle, alooper, a shaft supporting said looper, an arm carried by said shaft, a rotating shaft located substantially in axial alinement with said looper shaft, an arm carried by said rotating shaft, means for connecting the arm on the rotating shaft with the arm on the looper shaft, so that said looper isosoillated and given a ,quicker travel into the needle loop than its retracting movement out of the needle loop.

3. The combination of a needle, a looper, a looper shaft supporting said looper, an arm carried by said looper supporting shaft, a rod to which said arm is slidingly connected, means for supporting said rod and for oscillating the same about its support, whereby said looper is oscillated back and forth.

4. The combination ofa looper, a supporting shaft for said looper, an arm carried by said supporting shaft, a ball freely mounted in said arm, a pivoted rod on which said ball freely slides and means for oscillating said rod and thereby imparting an oscillation to said looper.

5. The combination of a looper, a supporting shaft for said looper, an arm carrier by said supporting shaft, a ball freely mounted in said arm, a pivoted rod on which said ball freely slides, a rotating shaft, and means for connecting said rotating shaft to said rod, whereby the same is oscillated.

6. The combination of a looper, a looper support, a rotating shaft, an arm carried by said rotating shaft, a ball freely mounted in said arm, a pivoted rod to which said ball is slidingly connected, an arm carried by said looper support, a ball freely carried by said arm on the looper support, and having a sliding connection with said rod.

7 The combination of a needle, a looper, a looper support, a rotating shaft, a rod intermediate the rotating shaft and the looper support, means for pivotally supporting one end of said rod, devices located at one side of said pivoted support for said rod and connecting the rotary shaft to said rod whereby the same is oscillated about its pivotal support, and independent devices located at the same side of the pivotal support for said rod and connecting said rod with the looper support, said rod being so disposed as to give to the looper support an oscillating and a longitudinal movement.

8. The combination of a needle, a looper, a looper support, a rotating shaft, a rod intermediate the rotating shaft and the looper support, means for pivotally sup porting one end of said rod, devices connecting the rotary shaft to said rod whereby the same is oscillated about its pivotal support, devices for connecting said rod with the looper shaft, said rod being so disposed as to give to the looper support an oscillating and a longitudinal movement, and means whereby the pivotal support of the rod may be adjusted.

9. The combination of a needle, a looper, a looper support, a rotating shaft, means for connecting said rotating shaft to said looper support, including a pivoted rod, the axis of said rod during all its movements being arranged at an acute angle to the axis of the looper support, and means whereby the angle between the rod and the looper support, may be varied.

10. The combination of a needle, a looper, a looper support, a rotating shaft located in axial alinement with said looper support, means for connecting said rotating shaft to said looper support, including a pivoted rod, said means being so constructed and arranged that said pivoted rod is given a -gyratory movement whereby said looper support is oscillated about its axis and moved longitudinally thereof.

11. In a sewing machine, a looper, a support therefor, a rotating shaft, said looper support and rotating shaft extending in the same general direction and with their adj acent ends spaced apart in the direction of their length, means interposed between said looper support and said rotating shaft to convert the rotary movement into an oscillating movement, said means including two cranks arms and a device connecting said crank arms, said device being so constructed and disposed as to give the looper a quicker travel into the needle loop than its retracting movement out of the needle loop.

12. In a sewing machine, a looper, support therefor, a rotating shaft located substantially in axial alinement with said looper support, intermediate means for converting the rotating movement of said shaft to an oscillating movement for the looper support, said intermediate means including a member crossing a line joining said looper support and said rotary shaft.

13. In a sewing machine, a looper support, a looper mounted adjacent one end thereof, a crank arm carried by the other end of said looper support, a rotating shaft located substantially in axial alinement with the looper support, a crank arm carried by said rotating shaft, and a device for directly connecting said crank arms, whereby said rotating shaft will oscillate said looper support.

14:. In a sewing machine, a looper, a support therefor, a crank arm carried by one end of said support, a rotatingshaft located substantially in axial alinement with said looper support, a crank arm carried by said rotating shaft, the crank arm on said r0- tating shaft being shorter than the crank arm on the looper support, and means for directly connecting said crank arms, whereby the rotating movement of the shaft produces an oscillating movement of the looper support.

15. In a sewing machine, a looper, a support therefor journaled in bearings upon the machine frame, a rotating shaft also jouraxes of said looper support and rotating shaft.

I 16. The combination of a looper, a looper support, a rotating shaft, a crank arm carried by said'rotating shaft, a pivoted rod rod is oscillated, means for connecting said 15 rod to said looper support, a bracket for supporting said rod, and means for adjusting said bracket.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

LANSING ONDERDONK." Witnesses:

R. S. OsWALD, WALTER HARTLEY.

Copies 0: this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0. o 

